10/08/2009 @ 6:00PM

How To Make A Great Presentation

When William Shakespeare declared that “All the world’s a stage,” he could have been talking about business in the 21st century. In a world where electronic communications are ubiquitous, the art of giving a compelling presentation in person has become increasingly important.

And the stakes for business leaders to communicate why those technologies matter have gone up. Gone are the days of dreary recitations of “speeds and feeds.” It’s not about how powerful the technology could be. It’s about convincing buyers that the tools will enable them to do something previously unimaginable.

Of all the chief executives in techdom, none rival the skill of
Apple
Co-founder and Chief Executive Steve Jobs in delivering a stellar onstage performance.

Apple’s San Francisco music event on Sept. 9 marked the return of the world’s greatest corporate storyteller. There are more than 40,000 YouTube links to Jobs’ presentations, reflecting the intense interest in his legendary keynotes. For more than three decades, Jobs has been turning product launches into an art form.

“I break down exactly how Jobs turns the typical dull, plodding presentation into a theatrical experience. Whether you’re a CEO, small business owner, entrepreneur or educator, here are 10 tips to help you sell your ideas the Steve Jobs way,” writes Gallo.

Gallo notes that Jobs isn’t simply a “naturally” great stage performer: He logs hours of preparation, starting with storyboarding or outlining the main points he wants to convey, followed by hours of practice. Jobs isn’t giving a lecture but instead telling a story with classic elements such as antagonists and a happy ending. And he follows what Gallo calls the “10-minute rule,” which means figuring out how to break up a presentation with demonstrations and other elements so that it re-engages the audience every 10 minutes.

“Where most people give a presentation to deliver information, Jobs creates an experience,” Gallo says. “It’s info-tainment intended to inform, educate and entertain and to sell you on becoming part of a dream.”

Thought, planning and sheer energy are among the ingredients that go into the stage presentations given by Scott Berkun, a former
Microsoft
manager who has become a top-selling author and speaker and has given hundreds of speeches over the past 15 years. He shares his insights and behind-the-scenes observations about public speaking in his new book, “Confessions of a Public Speaker,” to be published by O’Reilly Media in early November but available for pre-order now.

Berkun is marvelously self-aware as a speaker and serves up his observations in a readable style. He also has snapshots of different environments where he has given speeches.

“Even when I’m on my game and things are going well, some people will always be doing something other than listening,” Berkun observes. He offers up a picture of how he, the speaker, looks from the vantage of someone in the audience who is working on a laptop. “It’s very hard for me to compete with the computer screen right in front of his face or the cute girl in the next row,” Berkun notes. “For this reason, sit in the cheap seats before your talk to remind yourself of how much energy you need to project so that you don’t look like a zombie on stage.”

In his book and on his blog Berkun runs through more detailed comments on what goes into a good–and a very bad–presentation. For instance, why do speakers continue to give lengthy detailed slide presentations even though every speaking coach advises against them?

Shakespeare would have never have turned “As You Like It” or any other play into a PowerPoint presentation. And according to Berkun and Gallo, neither should you.